Exchange
by BurningFox6
Summary: It's Christmastime in Arendelle, and gifts are being exchanged between the royal family. But given their strained relationship over the years, can Elsa give her sister the perfect gift?


Snow tumbled down from the sky, spiraling slowly past the window as it coated Arendelle in a soft powder. Elsa watched the frosty cascade float past the window, smile on her face and chin resting in her hand. For once, she could take solace in the fact that this gentle snowfall wasn't stirred up by her.

It was unusual, knowing she had no control over this natural cold. She could create and melt her own snow, that was for sure, but she couldn't do a thing to nature's own frosty gift. For once, Elsa could sit back and watch the weather fly – and revel in the fact that this spontaneous snowfall was bringing the holidays along with it.

It was Christmas morning, the first one Elsa had had since her coronation. She sat alone in the castle lounge, with the fire flickering hotly in the hearth casting a shadow on the recently set-up fir tree, simply listening to the whistle of the wind outside as she waited for sister to return from retrieving her boyfriend. And so Elsa waited, letting her mind wander as she gazed outside, wondering if she'd be able to spot Anna's bright hair amongst the snow.

Apparently she couldn't, because soon enough Elsa heard the door opening behind her. She turned to see Anna and Kristoff walk in, brushing snow off their winter coats. "We're hooooome!" Anna called, taking a moment to playfully swat some of the slush off her sweetheart's shoulder. "We didn't keep you waiting too long, did we?"

"No, no, not at all," Elsa assured her. "I've just been keeping myself busy. Oh, and Merry Christmas, Kristoff."

The man looked up, seemingly surprised to have been noticed. "Merry Christmas to you too, uh… your majesty?"

Elsa smirked, shaking her head. "Must we go over this again? Say it with me now… Elsa. El-sa."

Kristoff returned the grin. "Right." He'd been visiting the castle for months and still hadn't gotten quite used to treating royalty so modestly, especially considering the sled she'd gifted him months before. He'd definitely gotten used to making himself at home, though, as he stomped over and plopped down on one of the lounge's finely upholstered chairs.

Anna, however, strode right up to her sister, bouncing on her heels and hands behind her back. "Elsaaaaa?"

Elsa looked up at her, wondering what had her so excited. "Hmmm?"

"I know we're not usually supposed to open gifts until after Christmas dinner, but… well, I just can't wait to show you what me and Kristoff got for you."

They'd gotten her something? After looking again, it definitely seemed like it – Kristoff was holding onto a poorly-wrapped box she hadn't noticed before, and Anna had pulled her hands to her front to reveal a more cleanly wrapped container. It really was tradition to wait until after dinner for gifts, but seeing how excited her sister was… "…Well, why not?"

Anna practically squealed with delight as she motioned for Kristoff to step up first. The icecarver eased himself out of the chair with a groan, lumbering over to hand over his present. It wasn't very well wrapped, that was for sure, but the fact he'd taken the time to personally wrap it made Elsa take the time to slowly and respectfully peel it away. Upon revealing the container within, she popped open the lid and peered inside.

It was a carefully carved ice sculpture, which Elsa gently picked up to examine. It looked like a preening swan, and Elsa had to admit, it was incredibly well made. "I know it's nothing like what you can make," Kristoff muttered, "but hey, it's not bad, right?"

Elsa simply smiled, turning the figure over in her hands. "It's wonderful, Kristoff. Thank you so much," she praised. Kristoff looked away, no doubt hiding a smile from having his gift accepted from someone who controlled ice itself. Anna had really picked a sweet boy, she realized, a much better choice than that Hans fellow turned out to be.

"Me next, me next!" Anna interrupted, practically hopping with glee as Elsa set the sculpture aside.

"Easy now," Elsa told her as she accepted her gift. It was smaller and thinner than Kristoff's was, and she tore apart the wrapping with just as much care. She opened up the little box and let out a gasp when she saw what was inside.

It was a small locket, engraved on both sides. One side held a small flower – their town symbol, shining blue against a green background. On the other, a cool white snowflake standing out against blue. "It took some work, but I managed to find a jeweler in town who would take the order," Anna said. "Go on, open it up!"

Following orders, Elsa pulled the trinket from its box and cracked it open, warmth flooding her heart as she looked inside. There was a small picture within, one of both of them as children. Elsa stood smiling in a little blue dress and tiara while Anna, still just a baby, was sitting on their just-out-of-view mother's lap.

"I wanted a picture of mother and father too, but… it'd just feel wrong to mess with their paintings. But I took one of the spare family photos we had and…" Anna made a snipping motion with her fingers. "I was hoping for a more recent picture of us, but given how things have been over the years, this was the only one we had. And, well…" She shrugged. "I just wanted you to have a picture of us with you, so we'd never be apart again."

Elsa looked up at her sister, whose eyes seemed to be just begging her to try it on. And so she did, slipping the little silver chain around her neck – a perfect fit. She took one more look at the little necklace dangling just over her heart before standing up and pulling her sister into an embrace, hugging the life out of her. "Oh, it's perfect, Anna! Thank you."

She felt her sister chuckle before she slipped her own arms around Elsa. "I'm so glad you like it, sis," she said. The two of them stood there, hugging, before an unfortunate thought made its way into Elsa's mind: she hadn't gotten anything for either of them. Every Christmas, she'd received gifts from her parents – toys, books, a few dresses sometimes- and had usually come out of her room long enough to enjoy the holiday dinner with everyone before slipping back to her quarters, but she'd never given a present herself.

She pulled out of the hug, rubbing nervously at her arm. "I-I'm sorry, but I didn't think to get either of you anything."

Nonetheless, Anna's smile didn't falter. "Don't worry about it, sis. I'm just really, really glad you like it," she said, clasping her hands in front of her.

Elsa felt a grin spread acros her own face, and yet, she just didn't feel right having nothing to give. She looked out the window, hoping the snowy scene outside might provide an answer. And that's when it hit her –Elsa _did _have something to give, something Anna had wanted for years. "Hey, sister," she began, turning to Anna. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

It seemed to be just the right choice as Anna balled up her fists like a giddy schoolgirl. "Do I?!" Before they could react, the girl had grabbed Elsa and Kristoff by the hand and started pulling them towards the door. "Let's go!"

* * *

Outside, snow continued falling as the trio made their way outside. Anna led the way, shoving open the palace doors and twirling around, immediately flopping to the ground and trying to form a snow angel. Elsa couldn't resist as she did the same, laughing along with her sister. She was in her element, and in it with her sister for the first time in over a decade.

The two stayed like that for a moment before Anna let out a scream, and Elsa looked up just in time to see that Kristoff had snuck up on her and filled her cap with snow. He laughed like a madman until he felt a cold thump on the back of his head, turning to see Elsa blowing invisible smoke from her finger. The thought of getting in a snowball fight with an ice goddess must've frozen Kristoff in his tracks because he let the blow go and stooped down to help Anna up. She accepted the help and patted herself off before reminding them of the reason they'd come outside in the first place. "Alright, let's get this snowman started!"

And so, the three of them got to work gathering up the piling snow. Elsa kept her magic to herself, wanting to do everything manually as she rolled up some fluffy powder for their project. Soon, they converged, combining all their snowballs into one big blob that looked more monster than man. They swiftly set to work molding him – fingers carefully trimmed the figure, hands worked to scoop out a mouth, and not long after, they had a presentable, if a bit bare, figure. Kristoff jogged off to pick up a few accessories and came back not long after with a couple sticks for arms, a carrot nose, and an old scarf.

He placed the trinkets in their respective places and wiped his hands together, brushing off extra snow. With their work complete, the three of them stood back to admire it. "What do you think, Anna," Elsa asked. "Is it a good enough Christmas gift?"

"It's perfect!" Anna threw an arm over her companion's shoulders, pulling them in for a hug. "We did a great job, gang."

Elsa nodded, before something occurred to her. "Oh, and before I forget…" She held her palm up, concentrating deeply as ice formed and grew from her hand. Within seconds, she had an entire statuette in her hands, which she passed past Anna. "Don't think I forgot about you, Kristoff."

The icecarver grabbed the figure and looked it over; it was an intricate model of a reindeer, almost identical to Sven and a thousand times more detailed than Kristoff could ever accomplish. Elsa could've swore she saw a tear in his eyes. "I-it's beautiful."

Stifling a giggle, Elsa pulled out of her sister's arms and began moving back towards the castle. "Well, I'm glad you both liked it. Come on, let's go see if we can help the staff prepare supper." The ice queen led the way, realizing this had been the best Christmas she'd had in a long time – and it wasn't even halfway over.

The three of them headed inside, closing the doors behind them. Meanwhile, a squat little figure entered the courtyard, carrying a little tray laden with slushy treats. "Guys?" Olaf called out, looking around. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to make sure my snownuts were blazed to perfection!" He waddled across the area, suddenly stopping before a snowman he hadn't noticed. "…I've been replaced?"


End file.
